Kidnapped
by Cumatilis16
Summary: It was just a romantic night for Gia and Alex, until they are attacked and Gia gets kidnapped! She lives through torture as Alex tries to search for her. But it turns out Gia's not the real target... MAJOR Alex and Gia! Rated T for torture. Inspired by "You're Mine" by ForThoseWhoLikeToMoveitMoveit. COMPLETE!
1. Kidnapped

**Gia's POV**

I laid on a log in the woods. The smoke from the fire began to get in my face, so I moved away. "You ok, G?" Alex asked. I nodded. "The smoke was in my face." I said. Alex chuckled. "Well, smoke does go towards beauty." I cocked an eyebrow. "Who told you that?" I asked. He shrugged. When Alex left, he came back with some more firewood. I gave him a look. "Why'd you get more firewood? The fires fine." Alex looked at the fire, then the wood. He set the wood down. "Y'know, just in case, I guess?" Alex tried to think of an excuse. I giggled and he sat beside me. "I gotta give you some credit, you picked a nice spot. You can really get a good view of the stars." I said as I looked up. When I looked back down, Alex was looking at me lovingly. He shot he head away from eye contact, thinking I didn't notice. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the stars. Alex stood up. "Please don't tell me you're getting _more_ firewood." I said. Alex laughed. "Hehe, no. I'm just getting something. Be right back." And he walked off.

I never realized how beautiful the sky was until that night. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned around. "Alex? Is that you?" I wasn't scared, just nervous. Suddenly, someone grabbed me and pulled me. A hand was covering my mouth. I looked up at my attacker. Humans! I pulled and struggled. Alex came back. "So it turns out that- GIA!" He shouted and tried to knock the poachers off of me. The poachers shoved a needle into my shoulder. "Ow!" I yanked out the needle and pushed off the humans. Alex and I ran. The poachers didn't bother using tranquilizer darts for Alex. They shot him in the leg, and he fell to the ground. "Alex!" I screamed. The poachers grabbed me, but I couldn't escape. The world faded around me, and I blacked out.

**Alex's POV**

I woke up and my leg was bleeding. I groaned at the pain. "Gia...Gia!" I shouted. She was gone. I tried to get up but I couldn't move my leg. "Gia!" I yelled again. It was no use. She was gone. Those humans! I tried to at least crawl towards the train. _No, I have or find her. I will!_ I thought. I grabbed a stick and used it as a walking stick. I slowly made my search for Gia.

**Gia's POV**

I woke up in a crate. I looked out the little hole of the crate. It was dark. There were more boxes and a little shine of light was showing. The area was shaking. I was in a truck. The poachers stuffed me in a crate and shoved me in a truck. _Why didn't they kill me? _I thought. The truck stopped moving, and the large door opened. Two men came in and lifted my crate up. I did my best to be still. "I think he's still asleep." One man said. "It's a girl." Said the other man. They carried me into a building and let me out of the crate.

"Hey? What's this?" One of the men took my necklace. "We could make a fortune with this." That was too far. I lunged for the man and took back my necklace. Then I ran on all fours as fast as I could, but the men grabbed me. "Hold her down!" "She's strong!" The men knocked me out with a rock.

When I woke up again, I was on a table. Bars kept me from escaping. My necklace was gone, and tears went down my face. That necklace meant so much to me. When I was a cub, my parents made and gave me that necklace before I left with the circus. They were killed by hunters shortly after. I cried softly. One name went through my head. Alex...

**Alex's POV**

I was found by Gloria. "Oh my gosh! Alex! Are you ok?! What happened to your leg?!" She shouted. "I'm fine. I was just shot." I said, and continued to limp. "Ok sweetie, we're going to see Melman right now!" She grabbed my arm. "No! She's in danger! I have to help her! Lemme go!" I shouted, trying to pull away. "Alex! Stop! I want to help! Who's in danger?" She asked. "Gia! She was taken by these hunters!" I shouted. A sharp pain surged through my leg. "Ah!" I gritted me teeth in pain. "C'mon, sweetie. Let's get you to Melman." I looked back in front of me. "But..." I nodded my head at Gloria, and we headed back to the train.

**Gia's POV**

I wasn't fed. I wasn't given water. I was just stuck in a room with a light in my face. The light was blinding, and I couldn't turn away. This was torture. I didn't struggle, I didn't roar. Both would be purposeless. I just cried. I wanted to go home. I listened to the men outside, hoping they'd find in use for me and let me go. "So, what did the boss say?" "We kidnap the jaguar and kill her. Then, we wait for our real prey to come." "Real prey?" "The lion!" "Oh! Why didn't we just kidnap him instead of this lame jaguar?" "Don't question the boss! She gave us directions, and it's our job to follow them! Now, let's torture a jaguar."

The two men entered the room. I got a good look at them now. One was big and hairy, with long hair. The other was short and bald, but he sure was strong. "Hand me a knife." Baldy ordered. Hairy gave him a sharp kitchen knife. Then, Baldy shoved the knife into my arm, and I roared. "How do you like that? Hehe, you'll feel worse when I'm through with you." Baldy cackled. Fear surged through me. I was so scared. But I was more scared of who this "Boss" was, and what he or she wanted with Alex. Then I realized something about these men. They were speaking in French accents. French... Oh no! Dubois!


	2. Torture

**Gia's POV**

_No! No! How is this possible? We got rid of her!_ "AH!" I roared as Baldy stabbed me again. Tears ran down my face. Not just for me, but for Alex. She was after him. She wanted him to come after me! And he is! I know it! If only I could tell him it was a trap!

**Alex's POV**

I roared in pain as Melman dug the knife in my leg. "Stop! You're making it worse!" I shouted as I pulled my leg away. "Alex! I need to get the bullet out! Just hold still!" He yelled at me. I gritted my teeth and waited for the pain to come. Once he got the bullet out, I slammed my fist into the wall in pain. "It's ok! It's ok! It's out! The bullets out!" Melman told me. After he wrapped up my leg in bandages, I limped out of the cart. "Woah, woah, woah! Where do you think you're going?" He asked me. "To find Gia." I responded. Melman looked confused. "Did she run off?" I shook my head. "She was kidnapped by hunters." Melman gasped. "Where is she?" He asked. I turned towards the giraffe. "I'm not sure. But I won't rest until she's found. And I _will _find her." I turned back to the forest and ran in. I heard Melman call my name, but I ignored him. It hurt my leg to run, but I didn't care. _Hold tight Gia, I'm coming._

**Gia's POV**

Hairy slammed the mallet on me once more. Tears ran down my face as I heard another one of my ribs break. "Please! Stop!" I bawled. The henchmen couldn't hear my pleading. All they heard were roars. "Alright, alright. That's enough." Baldy interfered. Hairy stopped slamming me with the hammer. I was crying loudly now. I just wanted to black out again, to numb me from the pain. Baldy looked at my face. "So, how do you feel about that lion friend of yours? I bet he's out looking for you right now." My teary brown eyes widened. It was as if he read my mind. Then he laughed. "Just kidding! He's a lion! He doesn't care! I bet he's thinking: 'one less cat to worry about!'"

After the horrible men left, I thought about what Baldy said. _Does Alex really think that?_ No. I knew Alex loved me. The blinding light was still in my face. I knew eventually I'd go blind. I groaned in pain. I had a guess that about three of my ribs were broken. Tears went down my face like a waterfall. It hurt to cry, but it also hurt to not. I didn't know what to do. I was so scared, so sad, so alone. I wanted my friends. Stefano, Vitaly, Alex... I tried to fall asleep so I could dream about him, but the pain kept me awake.

When I eventually fell asleep, I was back in my train cart. _Alex walked in. "Gia? Are you ok?" He asked. Oh how I longed to hear his voice again. I made myself believe that it was all a nightmare. I was never kidnapped, I was never tortured. "I had a dream that I was kidnapped and tortured. You tried to save me but you were shot in the leg and died of blood loss." I said to Alex, tears coming back. Alex sat beside me. "Gia, it's ok. I'll never let you get kidnapped or tortured. And do you really think a gunshot in my leg would stop me from saving you?" I leaned onto his shoulder and into his grasp. His soft, warm fur comforted me. "Don't worry, Gia. You're safe." He said softly to me. His voice was comforting, kind, and dead sexy. He stroked my back, his gentle touch made me feel so calm and safe. I was so happy that none of that nightmare was real. I was in reality, safe with Alex, far from danger._ Suddenly, it began to rain.

With a clap of thunder, my eyes snapped open. The light was still in my face, and the cell was dark and cold. I wasn't safe in Alex's arms, it wasn't all a nightmare. I had been kidnapped and tortured. The pain from my broken ribs and bleeding arm returned. I struggled to return to sleep and my dream, but my heart was too broken. _Alex...help me... _I thought hopefully.

**Alex's POV**

My leg still hurt so much from the gunshot. I finally took a break by a tree. As I looked ahead, I saw trees, trees, trees, and guess what? More trees! I sighed in disappointment. I'll never find her at this rate. I thought sadly. I looked at the so called path ahead. Then my head turned to my leg. Filthy. I went over to a stream to wash it off. It stung for a bit, but then it made it feel better. Just then, I saw something black lying across the ground. "A road!" My face lit up as I ran towards the road. As I looked around, my heart sank. So many streets, so many buildings, so many vehicles, it would take forever to find her!

I hid behind a bush so no humans would see me. Just then, I saw two familiar men. They were the men that took Gia! I didn't pounce on them in a fit of rage like other cats would do (Vitaly), I just sat silently and watched them. They were walking and the shorter one was holding a sack. _Too small for Gia to fit in. Probably supplies._ I thought. Something fell out of the sack. It was wrapped up, but when it hit the concrete, it fell out of its cloth. _A machete!_ I almost said the words out loud before I bit my tongue. The two men panicked as they quickly wrapped the weapon back in its cloth and put it in the sack. _They're carrying weapons? Why would they- oh no!_ I thought. I followed the men unseen as they made their way to a building. When I saw the sign on the building, my heart almost stopped. I realized what was happening. The sign read, "Animal Control."

**Gia's POV**

The torture twins returned with a sack. "Guess what we got?" Hairy sang as he pulled something out of the sack. He washed off the mystery weapon with a dirty cloth, then showed it to me. My brown eyes widened at the blade. "That's right! A machete! And there's plenty more weapons too!" I breathed heavily at the weapon in my face, thinking of the horrible things they'd do to me with it. Hairy finally stopped mocking me with the blade and put it back in the sack. Baldy dug through the sack and pulled out a large rifle. "This isn't for you, kitty. This is for the lion!"

I began to cry again. "Why are you doing this to me? What do you want with me?" I asked. "She's growling at you, Armand." Hairy stated. Baldy (or apparently, Armand) looked at Hairy sarcastically. "I'm aware of that, Léonard." The two French men looked at me. Armand walked up and studied my body. "When do we get to use the guillotine?" Léonard asked. Armand punched him in the face. "You fool! We can't let anyone know we're going to use it on her! The boss would be furious!" Léonard looked at his partner. "Why?" "Because she wants it clean for the lion!" Armand said and he punched him again.

_They're going to chop my head off with a guillotine? And Alex is next?_ I thought as the men argued. I couldn't see them very well, because the light was blinding me. I cried as I thought of what would happen. I suddenly blacked out when I felt a blade stab into my shoulder.


	3. Rescue Plan

**Alex's POV**

I sat behind a bush. Fear rushed through me. _Keep it together. _I thought. _It's just a human. An insane, psychotic, evil, monster-like human..._ I looked back at the Animal Control building. I could only imagine what horror Gia was going through. Dubois was a mad woman, and all she cared about was getting- I paused. "My head..." I understood everything now. "She wants me to chase after Gia... But if she wants me so bad, why didn't her henchmen just kidnap me?" I didn't know what to think. I finally gathered up my courage and headed towards the building. _How am I, a lion, supposed to make it through an Animal Control center safely? _I thought. It would have been a lot easier if I had the penguins with me.

Just then, I heard painful roars. But it wasn't Gia, it was someone else. It was coming from a basement window. I looked in, and saw a young tiger being tortured by the same two men who kidnapped Gia. "Somebody help me!" He yelled. He was only a cub, but he was older. I guessed he was about 12 or 13 years old. He saw me looking through to window. "Please help! I don't wanna die!" He screamed at me. The men turned their heads to the window, and I hid. "Was something there?" "Na" And they went back to torturing.

When they left the poor guy alone, I crawled my way through the window. The little tiger was terrified. "W-who are you?" He asked. "Don't worry, kid. I'm getting you out of here." I said. The tigers face lit up when I said this. "Thank you, sir! But you should move quickly, those men will be back soon." I was finally able to break the latches holding him down and helped him off the table. He groaned in pain as I lifted him up towards the window. "Hurry, climb out." I told him. The tiger did as I told him and he crawled out. I helped myself out, and took him to a bush to hide.

"Are you ok?" I asked him. The tiger nodded. "Thank you for saving me. Ah!" He held onto his arm in pain. Then he looked at my leg. "Were you tortured too?" He asked me. I shook my head. "No, my friend was kidnapped by those same two men. They shot my leg so they could get away." The tiger looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry that happened, sir. What's your name?" He asked. "Alex. Whats yours?" I asked. "Lance." I looked at him. "How old are you?" "12" I thought about this kid for a minute. "Lance, I can fix you up. But since I did something for you, can you do something for me?" Lance nodded. "Of course!" I almost begged to the child. "Will you help me get my friend back?" Lance nodded again. "Yes! I owe you for saving me! Plus, I don't want anyone else to be tortured! I can't stand it!" I smiled at this. I'm gonna get Gia back! "Alright, let's fix you up."

**Gia's POV**

They came back. And they were angry. Léonard kicked the wall in frustration. "I can't believe it! How did he escape?!" Armand punched me in the leg. "Ah!" I yelled. Léonard glared at me. "Gotta take out our anger on something."_ Oh that's nice referring to me as a thing._ I thought. Armand smirked. "Yeah..." He pulled out the machete and put it to my neck. "Should we finish her?" He asked. "No, no! Please!" I cried. "Oh, no. We've got plenty to do with her..." Léonard stated. He clenched his fist and slammed it into my face, making my whole world go dark.

I woke up and my head throbbed. My arms were hanging in the air and everything looked strange. When I looked down, my feet were chained tightly to the floor._ Wait...I'm hanging upside down!_ I thought. I looked around the room. I didn't see Léonard or Armand anywhere, which made me feel safer. But the safety was short lived. Because someone came in. Not the two men. She had a saw in her hand, her blood red lips giving me a devilish smile, her evil eyes telling me death was near. I was in the presence of Chantel Dubois.

**Alex's POV**

Lance had fallen asleep soon after I treated his wounds, so I had to carry him out of the way of humans and deeper into the woods. I sighed. _What am I doing? _I thought. _I'm letting a child risk his life for me. _I set Lance down gently and rubbed my aching leg. "Please, please be ok, Gia." I said. This was all my fault. I was the one who suggested to have a romantic night by the fire. I was the one who left her alone. I let myself be stopped by a shot to the leg. Tears ran down my face. "She's probably dead. All because of me." I dug my face into my legs and cried.

A small paw touched my leg. I looked up. It was Lance. "What's wrong, Alex?" He yawned. I wiped my face. "Go back to sleep, Lance. You've been through a lot." I told him. He instead plopped down beside me. "Well, you seem to be going through something. What's wrong?" He asked innocently. I sighed and laid against a tree. "You remember that friend I told you I wanted to rescue?" I asked. Lance nodded. "It's my fault she was captured. I turn my back for a second and she's probably dead." My voice cracked. I tried as hard as I could not to cry in front of the child. I cleared my throat. "It's grown-up stuff, you wouldn't understand."

Lance didn't say anything for a while. "Is she your girlfriend?" He asked. I closed my eyes. "Yeah...she is." Lance stood up. "If she means that much to you, than I won't hesitate for anything." He said. I looked up at him, his grey eyes showing determination. I stood up too. "C'mon, we have a jaguar to save." I said. Lance's face lit up.

**Gia's POV**

I hyperventilated. _I don't understand! How!?_ I thought. I struggled to get out of my chains, but Dubois slapped me. "There is no point in escaping, kitty. You're mine." She cackled. I cried as she licked her saw maniacally. Then she put the saw to my neck. "No! NO!" I cried. The blade slid across my throat, and my world went dark.

**Sorry for the short chapter, but this seemed like the perfect place to put a cliffhanger. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!**


	4. Reunited

**Lance's POV**

_flashback_

Why do they want to kill me so bad? Why do they hate me? The men grabbed a chair and slammed it onto me as hard as they could. Then they hammered some nails into my feet and paws, and connected some wires to them, and electrocuted me. I screamed and cried. For months had they tortured me. That's when I saw him. A lion in the window, staring in horror. I screamed for him to save me, but he did nothing. When the men turned around, he fled.

I awoke during the night to hear a noise. It was the lion again. He came in through the window. "W-who are you?" I asked, trembling. I didn't know wether he was friend nor foe. But his face seemed kind. "Don't worry kid, I'm getting you out of here." He told me. I beamed. "Thank you, sir!" Then my head moved towards the door. "But you should move quickly, those men will be back soon."

_End of flashback_

"Alex! Wake up! It's alright!" I shouted as I shook the lion. Alex screamed and thrashed on the grass in his sleep. Three. Three times has this happened. He'd have the same nightmare every night. It's been three days since Alex had saved me. Every night, he'd say he'd had a nightmare of his girlfriend dying, being tortured recklessly by evil people, and he wouldn't be able to do anything. He'd be held back hearing her mournful cry, as if by some invisible force. I knew that these nightmares would mess with his head and cause insanity and suicide, same as my parents...

"ALEX!" I yelled. Finally, with a scream, he awoke. He shot up and breathed heavily. "Huh...huh...huh...huh..." He panted. Fear and worry flowed through his blue eyes. "It's ok, it's ok..." I comforted him. He turned his head to me. "Lance..." He murmured my name. He then gasped, as if in pain. I looked at his leg and removed the dirty bindings. I tried not to gag, scream, vomit, something that showed my disgust for the wound, I would not do. "It's ok, it's just...just..." I didn't have the words. Blood and pus trailed from Alex's leg. He looked at me with weak eyes. Tears began to build up in mine. If I couldn't do something, it'd get infected. And following the infection...death.

**Gia's POV**

_Wake up, kitty... _I heard a voice. My eyes wouldn't open. The voice was demonic and evil. I tried to raise my eyelids, but couldn't. _What happened? Did I die?_ I thought. The voice returned. _I said...WAKE UP!_ Something shoved my eyes open. Hands. I was now able to hear my raspy breathing, and her evil snicker. "Dubois" I choked. She'd cut my throat, so it was hard to breathe, yet I was still alive. How? I could see, sorta. My vision was blurry, yet I could see her horrifying eyes of insanity. "I was about to kill you, but I couldn't miss the lion's reaction." She leaned close to me, so I could smell her blood breath. "He cares for you, the lion, does he not? Won't it be fun for him to watch you die?" She purred. _No...Alex...no!_

**Alex's POV**

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGG!" I screamed in pain. I didn't know anything now except pain. I wasn't aware of what was causing the pain. The entire world could've crumbled down and I wouldn't have noticed. Little did I know that it was just Lance, trying to heal my leg. But I didn't know that. "Alex! I'm trying to help you!" Lance cried. He struggled to keep me still, but I was in too much pain. That's when a foul tasting liquid was shoved down my throat.

Suddenly, a sense of relief came to me. The pain was gone, and the humid wood faded. A bright light took its place and emerging from the bright light was a face I hadn't seen in such a long time, except my dreams. But her face wasn't sad or scared, it was calm and friendly. "Gia..." I whispered her name. She knelt down to me. "I thought I'd never see you again..." I stroked her. That's when she said my name, but it wasn't her voice, and I was frightened.

"Alex? Can you hear me?" My eyes slowly opened to see a small tiger leaning over me. "Lance?" I tried to sit up, but it hurt. "Stay down, Alex. You're injured." He told me. I held my head. "What happened?" I asked. "When I tried to heal you're leg with some herbs I found, you panicked. I guess it must've stung. In fact, you were thrashing so much you almost gave me a black eye. But when I gave you some drugs, you calmed down." Lance explained to me. Drugs...that'd explain seeing Gia. Wait... "Where'd you get drugs?" I asked. "I took some from the cell before I left with you." Lance said. "In case we'd need them." I rolled my eyes. "Were drugs really necessary?" Lance shrugged.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I found something!" Lance grabbed something and showed it to me. I froze and grabbed the object. "I found it in my torture cell. The men must've dropped it." He told me. "Gia's necklace..." I muttered. They took her necklace...

That's when Lance was snatched away from my sight. I sat up. "Lance?" I called. "Alex! Help!" I heard him. When I saw him, he was being held by one of the men who took Gia. "Hey! Let him go!" I tried to fight but I couldn't stand due to my leg. One man shot me. But when I looked at arm, I ripped out a tranquilizer dart in anger. "You've got to be kidding me..." And I fell to the ground.

**Gia's POV**

I knew I'd see him again, just not like this. Armand and Léonard came in carrying a young tiger, and Alex. The young tiger looked like he'd been tortured, and Alex's leg was injured badly. Probably from the gunshot when I was kidnapped. He was also holding something, despite being unconscious. My necklace. "Lemme go! Lemme go!" The tiger shouted. Armand slammed the cub onto the ground. Léonard did the same with Alex, which woke him up. "Alex!" I shouted. He groaned as Léonard latched him onto the wall. Armand latched the cub too. "Come! We must retrieve the guillotine!" Dubois commanded, and the three monsters left the room.

"Alex?" I called him, but he didn't respond. His head hung down limply, as if he was... "Are you Gia?" The cub asked me. I nodded. "I'm Lance. Alex saved me from those men. We'd been trying to rescue you, but Alex is getting sick." He told me. I began to cry as I looked at Alex. To my surprise, his head rose slowly. "Alex?" I hoped. I was able to see his wonderful blue eyes, but they were full of pain and sorrow. "Gia...?" He muttered. "Alex...are you ok?" I asked. He groaned. "Lance...?" The cub looked at him. "I'm right here, Alex." Alex looked at me. "Gia... What did they do to you?" I looked at myself. Bruises and cuts, my broken ribs, I couldn't tell him.

The door swung open and Dubois walked in. "Hello, lion. Long time no see." She growled. I saw Alex's eyes fill with anger as he struggled in the chains, but then wince in pain. Dubois snickered as she walked and unlatched me from the wall. I struggled to get away but I was too weak. Where are they taking me? I thought. Léonard unlatched the cub and Armand unlatched Alex. Alex didn't fight. Why? Usually he'd fight, never give up. He couldn't have given up. Could he?

That's when we were taken to the room. Blood and heads on the walls, all heads with horrified faces, as if they were mimicking mine. The cub had tears falling down his scared face. Alex kept his head down, doing nothing. There was a blood covered guillotine just waiting to end our lives. Dubois scoffed, "This blade is far too dull. Keep an eye on them while I get a fresh, sharp one." And she left the room while Léonard and Armand made sure we did nothing. To be very sure, they chained our arms to the wall, so we wouldn't move.

I looked at Alex. He didn't look like himself at all. His leg was turning black from the wound. There was no bright smile on his face. Only sadness. I wanted to break through the chains and hug him, telling him it was alright, but I couldn't speak. It wouldn't do anything anyway. Alex had given up.

**Yes I know you hate me so much right now to end it here. But last chapter next! (Maybe. I'm not so sure yet.) Also, have you been wondering if the others had noticed Gia and Alex missing? Hmm... **


	5. Saved

**And now...the moment you've all been waiting for... The final chapter of "Kidnapped" Get ready... Also you just wasted good reading time reading this pointless thing. HeeHee...enjoy!**

**Alex's POV**

Why? Why did this all happen? All I wanted was to ask her to...but then...this is all my fault. I couldn't look up. I didn't want to see the room we were in. I didn't want to see Gia's and Lance's horrified faces. I wanted to remember them happy, not scared. I had frozen. I had gone limp. I'd given up. I wouldn't fight, I wouldn't scream.

"Alex! Please talk to me! You can't give up now! We finally found each other! Please!" Gia was crying now. I wanted to talk so bad. Tell her I was sorry, but I couldn't. Could I? "I'm sorry Gia..." I murmured. _Was that me?_ I thought. I didn't sound like myself at all. But if Gia wanted me to speak, then I'd speak. "This was all my fault. If I hadn't taken you for that night by the fire, none of this would've happened." I looked at her. I realized her necklace was still in my grasp. I threw it to her. She picked it up, her eyes widening. Then she looked at me. Tears were streaming down her face. "It'd be better for everyone if Dubois would just kill us. We wouldn't have to go through this." I told her grimly. Lance shook his chains. "Don't think like that, Alex! We will get out of this somehow! I promise!" I just stared at him hopelessly, then looked at the guillotine. _It's over._ I thought. _It's all over._

**Gia's POV**

Dubois came back in with a large, sharp blade and inserted it into the guillotine. "Now, tiger or jaguar? I'm saving the lion for last." Dubois trailed her finger from Lance to me for a while. Finally, her finger landed on me. "Armand! Léonard! Unchain her!" She commanded. Armand unchained me and Léonard carried me to the guillotine. I looked at Alex. He kept his head down, but I saw a pool of tears forming under it. Dubois yanked his head up violently. "Come now, lion. I thought she was your friend. Don't you want to witness her last moments alive?" She purred. Alex tried to pull away but Dubois was too strong.

I was slammed onto the device and trapped in. "Alex!" I screamed. He wasn't able to do anything. He was sick, hurt, and at a crazy woman's mercy. "Let's count down. For suspense." Dubois said. "10" she began to count down. Léonard was ready to cut the rope holding the blade above me, getting ready to bring my death. "9" Alex's breath was shaky. "This is just like his occurring nightmares." Lance stated. "8" Nightmares?

"7- oh forget it just cut the rope!" Dubois yelled. Léonard cut the rope, and I was ready for my fate. The blade slid down. I closed my eyes. I had a good life. I heard chains break and Dubois screaming, "grab him idiots!". The blade never hit my neck, but I heard a yowl. I opened my eyes. Alex had broken through his chains and grabbed the blade. Blood dripped from his paws as he ripped the blade off the guillotine and freed me. "Alex! Your paws!" I shouted. "Forget it, G! Grab Lance and run away! Now!" He yelled. I unchained Lance and ran as fast as I could. When I looked back, Alex was being beaten by Dubois. Just then, as we reached the woods, the building exploded.

**Alex's POV**

My paws stung, my leg hurt, but I didn't care. Gia and Lance had escaped and that's all I wanted. Suddenly, the entire place blew up. I was flown into the air and I hit something and fell to the ground. _Where are they?_ Who was that? I recognize the voice but who does it belong to? _What are you guys doing here?_ Who was that? _Gia! You're alive!_ Gia? Who's Gia? What's happening? Why can't I remember anything? _Alex! He's over there!_ Who's Alex?! I don't understand! Hurry! _Get him to the train before... _The voices faded, and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes to see a bright light. "Hurry! We need medicine stat!" Someone called. _Where am I?_ I thought. Then I remembered everything. "Gia! Lance!" I shot up but pain surged through me. I couldn't see. Everything was a blur, but I knew one thing: never to trust anyone anymore. "Alex, lie down. We just want to help." Someone said. I didn't take any chances. "Who are you?! How do you know my name?! Where am I?! What- OW!" A needle was shoved into my arm. It hurt but then I felt relaxed.

**Gia's POV**

The explosion blew Lance and I backwards. I saw Dubois, Armand, and Léonard flying through the air. Dead. Then I saw Alex fly into a tree and fall to the ground. "Alex!" Lance screamed. Then I looked at the building and my face lit up. A very familiar train was near it. And a very familiar tiger, zebra, giraffe, sea lion, and hippo came running out of it. "Where are they?" Marty shouted. I waved my arms around like crazy, and they came running. "What're you guys doing here?" I asked. Vitaly squeezed me. "Gia! You're alive!" I had never been so happy in my whole life. Lance tapped Vitaly. "Alex! He's over there!" He yelled. Marty took no chances and dashed to where Lance had pointed. I went there too, despite my ribs hurting. I gasped. He looked dreadful.

"Hurry! Get him to the train before he dies!" I yelled. Everyone helped hoist Alex into Melman's train cart. Lance and I went there too. Melman gasped. "Oh my, you look terrible! Marty! Take care of Gia! Vitaly! You help the tiger cub! I'll save Alex!" He shouted. Vitaly led Lance out of the cart and Marty led me out.

I woke up about 38 hours after we were rescued. Marty stuck a needle in my arm. "Ow! What's that for?" I asked. "Painkiller. How're your ribs?" He asked. Surprisingly, they didn't hurt anymore. "Fine." I told him. The zebra smiled. "Whew! Good. I didn't think be able to fix 'em." I cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Didn't Melman help me?" I asked. Marty shook his head, but with pride. "I did. I've been training with Melman to be a doctor like him." I blinked. "Huh. I didn't think you'd be into that kind of stuff." I said. Marty shrugged. "Alex thought it was kinda cool."

I shot up. "Alex! Is he ok!?" I shouted. Marty laid me down. "I hope so. He's gotten his paws stitched up and healed his wounds from the explosion, and he's not sick anymore." Marty explained. "And his leg?" I asked hopefully. Marty's ears lowered. "Um, we're not sure. We've tried to heal it but, it's hurt really badly. He's starting to get blood poisoning. We even considered...well..." He didn't finish, but I had a terrible guess. "C-cutting it o-off?" I stuttered. Marty gulped and nodded. I looked down. If Alex got his leg cut off, he wouldn't be able to do trapeze...

**Alex's POV**

_I'm behind bars. In a cage. An invisible hand is holding my head up and my eyes open. Making me watch her...die. "Gia!" I scream. She can't hear me. She's going through so much. One man pulls out a chainsaw. "NO!" I scream. The man saws his way through Gia's stomach. Then he yanks out...he..._

"Stop it! NO!" I screamed. I panted like crazy. Someone's holding me down. "No! Lemme go!" I thrashed around. "Alex! Stop! It was just a dream! It's ok!" That voice... I finally took the time to look at my surroundings. Then I saw a face I hadn't seen in such a long time and didn't think I'd ever see it again. "M-Marty?" I murmured. Marty nodded. Without thinking, I threw myself onto Marty in a hug. He hugged me back. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" I laughed. Little did I know I was crying a little.

Then I quickly let him go. "Where's Gia? Where's Lance?" I asked, panicked. Marty calmed me down. "They're ok, Al. We helped 'em out." He told me. Then I looked at my paws. Stitches. Then I realized something. My leg didn't hurt. In fact I couldn't feel it. I quickly looked at my leg to see clean bandages. "Yeah, feels better, right? I'm glad Melman got to you when he did. It was getting infected." Marty chuckled. I looked at him. "Why can't I feel it?" I asked. "Pain medicine." He smiled.

Marty said that the best thing to do was to leave my leg alone so it could heal. That included walking, so I had to use crutches. When I left the cart, a very happy sea lion ran up to me and hugged me. "Stefano!" I laughed. Then I saw Lance run up to me. "Alex! You're ok!" He said, his grey eyes filled with joy. I hugged him. That's when she came. Her blue necklace gleaming in the sunlight, her brown eyes sparkling with joy. "Gia..." She was in a wheelchair. "Look, we're twins!" She exclaimed. I laughed as I glanced at my crutches.

**Gia's POV**

Alex and I weren't allowed to trapeze for a while, and since poor Lance didn't have a home, he stayed with us. While everyone else practiced, Alex and I talked, played around, and, of course, kissed. We laughed a bit while watching Lance try the cannon with Stefano and Marty. "Alex?" I said. Alex looked at me. "Yeah?" He asked. I tilted my head. "What was that thing you were getting before I got kidnapped?"

Alex blushed fiercely. "Uh... It's nothing." He said. I gave him a look. He sighed and went into his cart. He came out holding something. When he showed it to me, I gasped softly. It was a jewel hanging on a little blue string. The same shade of blue as my necklace. It was a white jewel that looked crazy expensive, but I loved the way it gleamed in the sunlight. "How did you get this?" I nearly whispered. Alex chuckled nervously. "Well I got permission to use some of our money we've earned from the circus, and by some I mean $500, and I went to the store, got beaten up by an old lady but managed to get this." He took the jewel and connected the blue string to my necklace. "I wanted to ask you something, Gia." He said. I looked into his bright blue eyes as he gripped my paw. "Even after you got kidnapped and tortured and neither of us can preform for awhile, will you be my mate?" He asked.

I froze. Did he just say... "Yes..." I whispered. Alex's ears perked up. "What?" I beamed. "YES! Yesyesyesyesyes!" I hugged Alex tightly and he hugged me back. I felt happy and safe in his embrace. I was glad that Dubois and those torture twins were done for. I was glad that I was gonna be Alex's mate. I was glad that Lance had a home. I didn't push Alex's paw away when he stroked me. I didn't pull away from the hug when he kissed my forehead. "Alex?" I asked. "Yes?" He said. I giggled tiredly. "Never take out on a romantic night in the woods again, ok?" He chuckled. "Ok."


End file.
